glass workers- would it be hard to make my own glass block?

[mopinko]

from bottles?
from what i know a hot woodfire will melt glass, and i think i can make a simple mold of cement blocks on sand? then if i had a pipe to blow a hole in the middle of it, i have a block. no?

[Viva_La_Revolution]

1. you'll have to melt the glass completely

I don't think you'll be able to get it hot enough over open wood. It usually takes a kiln.

Then you have to aneal the blocks so they don't shatter (heating again to just this side of melting, with a very slow cool down) to get the crystals to align.

[mopinko]

2. can u make a little dyi kiln?

dh has a smoker made of big planters. i can see a similar set up as glass is lower than any clay, yes?
could u use a raku kiln?

[Viva_La_Revolution]

3. I know people who use a blowtorch for small amounts

like jewelry and such. bigger and thicker pieces need a kiln or slumping chamber.

that's the extent of my knowledge.. there's a place near my house that teaches glassblowing. I have to fight the urge to go in every time I pass it. I love glass